Back to Victorianism

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 977, 21 May 1930, Page 6

Back to Victorianism

IS RETROGRESSION POSSIBLE? Simplicity of the Moderns THOUGH it seems almost impossible, a dress designer in England has prophesied that women will return to the Victorian style of dress. The idea of such a return has hideous possibilities. Hand in hand with dress goes the decoration of the house and a fickle taste may yet bring us back to the conglomerate eccentricity of Victorianism.

In the past years when simplicity has been the keynote of dress, that same simplicity has made its appearance in the furnishing of the house. It has been a simplicity which has at times bordered upon austerity, but to modern eyes it possesses beauty, charm and a harmony far removed from the tiresome and even hideous fussiness of the vogue that preceded it. It is inconceivable' to us today that the age of knick-knacks and bric-a brae could ever have been considered beautiful, but such a fickle and incalculable thing is taste, that there are those today who admire and practise the simplicity of modernity, and "who yet knew and admired the decoration of 50 years ago. Who knows that we may not again delight in decorating our mantelpieces after the manner of 1880? There is a description in a book on household decoration written at that period of a

“lady of illimitable resource if limited in purse,” who decided that her plain mantelpiece in her new flat looked cheap and tawdry. So, “a board, covered with maroon cotton velvet, was fastened upon the mantel, having a well-proportioned valance of the same material edged with harrow crewel fringe. A width of the velvet was tacked by her own fair hands across the chimney-breast and held in place at the sides by wooden picture-mould-ings, painted black. Across the top concealing the selvedge of the velvet ran a shelf with brackets of simplest construction made of pine.” It is not. necessary to go into further detail about the construction of the edifice. The description includes a “charming little gilt-framed oblong mirror, brass candlesticks, with red wax candles and ruby glass bobeehes. Then a raediae-lady’s head on the diapered background of a red-brown plaque, also the result of her own labours with the brush, a blue delft platter, a gaily coloured jar of Swiss faience, two .Japanese folding fans of blue and carmine with gold and silver lavishly besprent, a pilgrim-bottle, and a Satsuma tea-pot. And on the wall above two Japanese scrolls set in dark grey paper borders, on either side of a brilliant trophy consisting of a palette holding together a cluster of peacock feathers.” DOMESTIC ARTS Today such a number of ornaments would scarcely be' used iu one entire room, much less on one mantelpiece.

But it was the fashion then to besprinkle the room with a wealth of ornaments, and it seems that this fashion must have been the outcome of what the modern girl would call misdirected feminine activity. The modern woman who is not- occupied with running her home has opportunities of working for her living, taking up social work or studying, in order to occupy herself. The young woman of 50 years ago threw herself, apparently, into a perfect orgy of embroidery, painting, poker work and other domestic arts, and the fruits of her labours adorned her home.

She embroidered screens. Here is a description of one of them, and the writer points out at the beginning that the working of this particular work of art demands in execution “an enormous outlay of patient pains.” The screen - has a ground of fawn-coloured sateeff, and on it stands a vase, upon a base worked with a few lines of gold and blue silk. The vase is cut from oldgold plush, and on it is worked a cloisonne pattern in blue, gold and crimson silks. It is then applique upon the sateen, with Japanese gold thread couching. From the vase spring a group of real peacock’s feathers worked down with extreme delicacy of stitch. A branch of foliage

“after the Japanese method” leans toward the vase on one side. Gold thread is freely used to complete the Japanese treatment of design.

Chairs, tables, cushions, beil-pulls, lamps, candlesticks waste-paper baskets, curtains, all were subjected to this mania for decoration, and were hung with hand-made fringes, lace, embroidery, or painted in intricate and wonderful designs. Even the doors came in for their share of decoration. They were hung with portieres or painted with vivid colours, or decorated with poker work, anything was better than “the blank inartistic monotony of the ordinary door.” There was seemingly no end to the ingenuity of the women who made this form of handiwork their life's Anything further removed from the almost rigid simplicity of today could scarcely be imagined. One can only hope that the fact that most women today are capable of occupying themselves more usefully will prevent a reversion to the “knick-knack age.” Quite apart from the question of taste which is always debatable there are few domestics of the present Clay who would be capable ot coping \Vith the problem of dust!